Lafe Nelson School

Set in SAFFORD, Arizona, Lafe Nelson School is a middle-of-the-pack primary school, one of the schools within Safford Unified District (4218). It serves 471 students across grades K through 6.

Across the 6 schools in Safford Unified District (4218) (2,874 students total), Lafe Nelson School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Lafe Nelson School logs that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 58% of enrollment; the rest reads as 37% White, 2% Native American. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Lafe Nelson School has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.0:1, putting Lafe Nelson School higher than the state norm the norm.

Around the school, census data for Graham County shows median household income runs about $67,325, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 14%. In all, Graham County runs 32 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,927 students), of which Lafe Nelson School is one.

Ruth Powell Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 4%: 492 students in 2018 compared to 471 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 50% to 58%. Class-load math has widened: from 20.1:1 in 2018 to 22.4:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.